Seven Weeks in the Village | A Village Ministry "Internship"

 It's hard to believe this photo was taken nearly two months ago!

On May 25 we were back at Rinas to pick up university students from Cincinnati, Boston, and Atlanta.  None of us had ever met in person before but we were committed to sharing life and ministry for the next seven weeks!

Serving through our mission's Volunteers in Action program (VIA), Jenna, Hannah, and Nashana became a valuable part of our ministry team.  They slept in a house up the street , but did life (including all lunches and suppers) with us throughout the day every day.

Three mornings each week began with Albanian lessons facilitated by Eda.  We didn't expect them to become fluent in just a few weeks, but we did want the girls to be equipped to express greetings and needs, to learn the phonetics of the alphabet and understand the signs they would see throughout their stay.

Prior to their arrival we discussed projects they would undertake.  Seven weeks seemed like a lot of time and I was concerned that we would have 'enough for them to do'.  In retrospect, I chuckle.

We set goals.  I made a schedule. We found a rhythm and time flew. Before I knew it, it felt like they had been here forever (in a good way).

They helped us prepare for the two family teams coming to visit us: the Bookers and Lowes.  We made a lot of food in advance of their arrival for the freezer!  One of them said she learned some new things in the kitchen she didn't know before!  (Below) Who says work can't be fun too?

Part of living life together included celebrating family events like Ellie's 11th birthday!  (Shown below with the Lowe kids)

Prior to her arrival, Hannah collaborated with her home church to use the funds they would raise in VBS to purchase back-to-school boxes for the children of Metalle.  (Contents included notebooks, pencils, sharpeners, erasers, glue sticks, stickers, scissors, tape, crayons or colored pencils, etc.)

We had a lot of fun shopping and assembling those boxes!  They will be distributed early in September.  A big THANK YOU to all of Hannah's friends!

A large part of what they did was just get to know and love on the kids and youth in our village.

I don't know that the girls would have considered themselves stellar athletes, but every day they showed up for rec time and played countless games of volleyball.  And they never complained!!!

Nashana also learned to play chess!

Photo credit:  Nashana Jackson

They learned the word "xhiro."

A xhiro is kind of like "cruising", but on foot.  I have read the word  defined as sort of an 'aimless walk."  But really, it wasn't so much about the destination as it was to spend time with each other.   I just wish evening programs at the center, xhiros and our American sense of a proper supper time didn't conflict so much. :-)

Photo credit:  Nashana Jackson

 Lots of xhiros to watch the sun set.  Our sunsets are pretty spectacular, if I can say so.

Every week one of them would help supervise the little ones during church. 

(Below, they provided childcare during the young mothers seminar led by guest Anne Lowe).

photo credit:  Nashana Jackson

GIRLS NIGHT.  What can I say?  They started it.  They rocked it.  I have an entire post devoted to girls night here.  And I'm happy to say, it continues!

What mission experience is complete without organizing a storage room?  You know we missionaries count on folks like you to undertake that unseen job? The thought of it overwhelms us. And the time? Frankly, there's rarely a 'good time' for such work.  But bonus -- you help us see our stuff with new eyes and uncover gems we forgot we had!  This hadn't been done in almost 2 years (when another guest blessed us with her pixie-dust loaded fingers and whipped it into shape).

Then how about the ENTIRE DAY Hannah and Nashana cut out, sorted, and organized the flannel graph collection?  What a great resource for the new kids club in Metalle?

They got a glimpse of our real life.  And how on hot summer days when the breezes just aren't moving nothing refreshes quite like a homemade popsicle.

Photo credit: Nashana Jackson

photo credit:  Nashana Jackson

They loved on our kids.  Reading books, listening to stories, playing music, soccer, legos... buckling seat belts, holding hands at cross walks ... they even brought birthday gifts from America!!

They worked with Eda every week to plan kids club in Metalle -- from choosing songs (and writing the lyrics on poster board), to finding materials to tell the story, to planning the games... they were on top of it!

Our weekly Metalle ministry crew -- work doesn't feel like work with such good friends to help.

We were excited to surprise them after they got here with the news that we were going to camp in Kosovo!  (a post about camp coming soon).

I think my favorite pic of the 7 of us -- we're just chillin' at the border, waiting for our Albanian friends to cross.  Some paperwork snafus held them up quite a while.

Below, enjoying the breath-taking beauty of the mountains of Kosove with our colleague, Mandi.

photo credit:  Nashana Jackson

And then there were the history lessons... to understand a culture, you have to know the past.  We were eager teachers -- so if there just happened to be a castle ruin on the way somewhere, we would stop and share a history lesson...

They learned about the ravages of communism on this culture.

Nashana poses with a replica of a prison camp uniform

They walked on Roman roads that Luke (and maybe the Apostle Paul?) would have walked...

And then they did things we haven't even done yet! They were invited to go to Tirana for a new friend's birthday celebration.  They ended up having coffee and a movie with a multi-sensory-experience (motion, lights, smells, and all!)!

photo credit:  Nashana Jackson

There are so many more photos and experiences I could share, like home visits and Turkish coffee-making lessons, coffees with Albanian friends who shared testimonies of life 'back then', visiting other ministries doing different types of work in this region... 

But if I had to distill their summer to one image it would be this (and who is in it, is not important). 

Cross-cultural life is tiring and not easy.  It requires intentionality and patience to build relationships with others from different backgrounds, who speak different languages.  It means missing family and friends, familiar foods and comforts, experiencing a change in status and often times feeling confused.  These girls graciously walked through all of those things, motivated by the love of Jesus. 

They left a piece of themselves here, and brought a piece of Albania back home in their hearts through friendships, photos, and memories.  We hope they return.